Maker's Mark 46 Kentucky Bourbon Whisky, 70cl

Product Information

Full of vanilla, followed by sweet cherries and fresh red fruit. Cinnamon and toasted oak. A few drops of water brings butterscotch and warming nutmeg. Delicious and very easy drinking.

Of course, I also mixed the Maker’s Mark 46 in an Old Fashioned. This made a wonderful drink as well, and I wasn’t disappointed. The woody notes in the Maker’s Mark 46 really popped here, and all the burn was mellowed by the sugar and bitters. Samuels Senior achieved that goal by using red winter wheat in his mash bill rather than the popular choice of distiller’s rye. Rye can make the whiskey spicy and sharp, two things that Bill Samuels Senior was trying to avoid. The Roman numeral for four symbolizes Bill Samuels’ being the fourth-generation distiller of his family. (Fun fact: Bill Junior discovered at some point that his father was not the fourth-generation distiller he believed he was. His wife, Marjorie “Margie” Samuels, gave the whisky its name. She designed the now-classic label and came up with the red wax-dipping top that provides the bottle with its distinctive look. 1968 saw the first bottle of Maker’s Mark.It is an excellent introduction to bourbon for someone who wants to explore it American bourbon more broadly. Maker’s 46 Bourbon I suppose I can’t write this article without choosing which bourbon I favor. The truth is that I see value in having both of these bourbons at your home bar.

Maker’s 46 Cask Strength is the barrel proof version of the standard Maker’s 46. Maker’s 46 starts off as standard Maker’s Mark, which is a wheated bourbon made in batches of less than 1,000 gallons. The distillery and its associated brand were sold in 1981 to Hiram Walker & Sons, starting a long line of acquisitions which eventually ended in their current position with Beam Suntory in 2011. The company is the third largest manufacturer of alcoholic beverages, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois (with the holding company located in Osaka, Japan). Product The Maker’s Mark 46 bottle surely draws inspiration from its sister bourbon, Maker’s Mark. Margie’s design of the ‘S’ for Samuels and ‘IV’ for the fourth generation distiller that Bill Samuels Sr. believed he was is present on this bottle as well.

But, I must choose! So I’m going to say that I overall prefer the Maker’s Mark because I prefer my bourbons neat and I like the way it mixed in the Old Fashioned more than I liked the Maker’s Mark 46. The Maker’s Mark 46 process begins where the inspiration for the new bourbon also came from, Maker’s Mark. The Maker’s Mark original is fully matured at cask-strength, which means it hasn’t been diluted with water so it’s higher proof.

While one is a lovely little treat, great for after dinner, the other is more surprising, with a lot more wood notes, and overall just completely different! Truly these two bourbons are a testament to what an aging process can do to a whiskey!In the end, I wouldn’t say either of these falls short of expectations, and I can’t say enough how much I like both of them. And what’s more iconic than the wax seal of a Maker’s Mark bottle? Margie chose that too, taking her inspiration from 19th-century cognac bottles, which she also used to design the bottle shape itself! The next step was marketing, which Samuels handed off to his wife Margie. She used the “maker’s marks” that pewter whitesmiths put on their best work as inspiration.That distillery, once Burks Distillery and now Maker’s Mark, has been producing whiskey since 1889. And of course, the bottle is sealed with that iconic red wax as well, the company does that with all their bottles, no matter the series. It is bottled when the tasters agree that it is ready, roughly around 6 yo. The Maker’s Mark bourbon mash bill does not include rye. Instead of rye, Maker’s Mark uses red winter wheat (16%), along with corn (70%) and malted barley (14%). Excerpt: What this release is - a high proof wheated bourbon that will please Maker’s fans, but will be hard-pressed to leave a lasting impression. This is how Maker's 46 release should be - I find none of the gritty, aluminum, aspartame notes from the standard 46 release, and this is a winner.

The finish of this bourbon is just as soft as the palate is and very smooth. There is no burn in this bourbon. When Bill Samuels Senior set out to make a soft bourbon, he certainly succeeded, in my opinion! The heat of the summers causes the whiskey to expand and permeate the wood, adding the brown color we all recognize in bourbon, and the caramelized and vanilla flavors as well. Excerpt: The more water I added the more I enjoyed it, but I was basically working my way towards the standard release drop by drop. This is just right. There’s a good bit of caramel and vanilla to balance out the bitterness of the ginger beer, and there’s a touch of oak-y flavor that comes through to add some extra special something to the mix. Excerpt: The whole experience is a little flat and short of dazzling, but fans of the Maker’s program should find it at least an enjoyable diversion.Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon is a wonderful whiskey that I feel is too often overlooked. If you like Maker’s Mark, I’m sure you will also enjoy Knob Creek. It usually rings in just under thirty dollars and is a fantastic, flavorful bargain. Maker’s Mark Distillery has unveiled its new Maker’s Mark 46 bottle and design, created to highlight the brand’s values and better tell the story of its liquid. The cask-strength Maker’s Mark is then stored in the Maker’s Mark limestone cellar for nine weeks with ten seared virgin French oak staves. And those staves make all the difference! The name of Maker’s Mark 46 comes from the staves that worked best in this process: “Stave Profile No. 46”. The Maker’s Mark 46 Bottle Photo by Thea Engst Rich and creamy. There are notes of oak, vanilla cinnamon, all perfectly balanced. The Maker's 46 has a big mouthfeel. It is smooth like creamed honey. After the second sip, butter toffee, toast and hints of pepper show up. Water softens the heat a bit, but it is easy enough to drink without water. Excerpt: I feel that detail was missed when crafting this batch. It could make a reasonable mixer with its bold cinnamon notes and heat, but I would not recommend it as a daily or even special occasion sipper.